Founder Note
Harshavardhan Reddy Sirupa
Co-Founder & Managing Director, Namrata HempCo Limited
Hemp has been woven into the fabric of Indian civilisation for thousands of years referenced in ancient Vedic scriptures, used by artisans, and valued by communities across the Himalayas. Yet somewhere along the way, this extraordinary plant was sidelined. Namrata and I founded Namrata HempCo Limited (NHempCo) in 2016 with a singular conviction: that industrial hemp could be the foundation of a new, sustainable material economy in India. Dhara Fibers is the fullest expression of that conviction.
After completing my engineering degree in India and an MBA specialising in Global Business Strategy from Dowling College, New York, I returned home with a deep interest in where global supply chains were headed. My early career in strategy consulting gave me a front-row seat to how industries operate — and where the gaps lie. When I was introduced to industrial hemp in 2009 through a UK-based pharmaceutical collaboration, I recognised immediately that this plant could bridge those gaps across textiles, construction, composites, and beyond.
For years, Namrata and I immersed ourselves in research — studying hemp agronomy, fibre processing techniques, and the regulatory landscape. We worked with the Uttarakhand state government on cultivation licences, collaborated with scientists on fibre quality, and built relationships with farming communities across the state. That groundwork is what makes Dhara Fibers possible today.
The word “Dhara” means “flow” or “stream” in Sanskrit — embodying the continuous, natural flow of hemp from Indian soil to the global supply chain. We are working directly with licensed farming communities, providing them with certified seeds, organic inputs, and guaranteed buyback at fair prices. Our goal is not just to manufacture textile-grade hemp fibre; it is to create a regenerative supply chain that enriches farmers, restores soil health, and offers the global textile industry a genuinely sustainable alternative to conventional fibres.
At Dhara Fibers, we process hemp stalks into high-quality bast fibre suitable for apparel-grade textiles, home furnishings, and industrial composites. Our in-house R&D, backed by a team of university professors and scientists, is pushing the boundaries of what Indian hemp fibre can achieve — in terms of fineness, tensile strength, and blendability with cotton, Tencel, and other natural fibres.
We believe India has the agricultural land, the climate, and the ancestral knowledge to become the world’s hemp fibre capital. Dhara Fibers is our vehicle to make that vision a reality. I invite you to join us on this journey — as a partner, a customer, or simply as someone who believes that the future of textiles must be rooted in the earth, not extracted from it.
— Harshavardhan Reddy Sirupa
Co-Founder & Managing Director
Quotes — Harshavardhan Reddy Sirupa
“The soil doesn’t ask what you believe in — it rewards what you put into it. Hemp taught me that the most honest business model is one where the earth profits alongside the entrepreneur.”
“We didn’t start Dhara Fibers because hemp was trending. We started because a farmer in Uttarakhand showed us a stalk and said, ‘This used to clothe my grandfather’s village.’ That’s a supply chain worth rebuilding.”
“Every textile revolution began with someone refusing to accept that the old way was the only way. Cotton replaced wool, synthetics replaced cotton — and now hemp is here to remind us that nature had the answer all along.”
“Vertical integration isn’t a strategy for us — it’s a promise. When we hand a textile mill a bale of hemp fibre, we can tell them the name of the farmer who grew it, the field it came from, and the rainfall it absorbed. That’s transparency you can weave.”
“India once exported hemp to the world. We’re not creating something new — we’re returning to something ancient with modern precision. Dhara Fibers is where heritage meets engineering.”
Namrata Reddy Sirupa
Co-Founder & Head of Operations, Namrata HempCo Limited
My journey with hemp began with curiosity and quickly deepened into conviction. As an engineer, I was drawn to the material science of it — a single plant that yields fibre stronger than cotton, lighter than fibreglass, and capable of enriching the very soil it grows in. When Harsha and I founded NHempCo in 2016, I knew that the real transformation would come not just from what we could make with hemp, but from how we made it.
Textiles are in many ways the most tangible expression of sustainability. The fabric you wear, the furnishings in your home, the composites in your vehicle — these are daily touchpoints where conscious choices can create lasting impact. Dhara Fibers exists to ensure those choices are available, accessible, and backed by uncompromising quality.
I oversee our fibre processing operations and quality systems, bringing the same engineering precision to every stage of the pipeline. From retting and decortication through to grading and packaging, we maintain traceability at every step, ensuring that every batch of hemp fibre leaving our facility meets the exacting standards that B2B partners and textile manufacturers demand. Our farmers are not just suppliers; they are collaborators in a shared mission to prove that Indian-grown hemp fibre can stand on the global stage.
Our R&D work is focused on achieving finer, more consistent fibre grades that can blend seamlessly with cotton, Tencel, linen, and other natural fibres. We are continuously refining our processing techniques to reduce lignin content, improve softness, and increase the range of textile applications our fibre can serve — from lightweight apparel to heavy-duty industrial composites.
As a woman entrepreneur in a sector that is still emerging, I am particularly passionate about creating livelihood opportunities for rural women in our farming communities. The hemp value chain — from cultivation and harvest to fibre sorting and grading — offers meaningful, skill-building employment that keeps communities intact.
Dhara Fibers is the culmination of years of research, patience, and an unshakeable belief in the power of this remarkable plant. I welcome you to explore what we’re building and to become part of a movement that puts people, planet, and progress in harmony.
— Namrata Reddy Sirupa
Co-Founder & Head of Operations
Quotes — Namrata Reddy Sirupa
“Quality isn’t a checklist you complete at the end of a production line. It’s a conversation that starts in the field, travels through every stage of processing, and arrives at the textile mill as a fibre that speaks for itself.”
“When a woman in a village in Uttarakhand sorts hemp fibre with the same care she braids her daughter’s hair, that’s not labour — that’s craftsmanship. Dhara Fibers exists to make sure that craftsmanship reaches the world.”
“As an engineer, I was trained to solve problems with precision. Hemp is the rare material where precision and compassion point in the same direction — better fibre, better soil, better livelihoods, all from one crop cycle.”
“Sustainability reports are full of what companies plan to do. We’d rather show you a bale of fibre and the farmer who grew it. That’s the only audit that matters.”
“I don’t want Dhara Fibers to be known as a hemp company. I want it to be known as the company that proved Indian farms could supply the world’s textile mills with something cleaner, stronger, and kinder than anything they’ve used before.”
Founder Notes
Harshavardhan Reddy Sirupa
Co-Founder & Managing Director, Namrata HempCo Limited
Hemp has been woven into the fabric of Indian civilisation for thousands of years — referenced in ancient Vedic scriptures, used by artisans, and valued by communities across the Himalayas. Yet somewhere along the way, this extraordinary plant was sidelined. Namrata and I founded Namrata HempCo Limited (NHempCo) in 2016 with a singular conviction: that industrial hemp could be the foundation of a new, sustainable material economy in India. Dhara Fibers is the fullest expression of that conviction.
After completing my engineering degree in India and an MBA specialising in Global Business Strategy from Dowling College, New York, I returned home with a deep interest in where global supply chains were headed. My early career in strategy consulting gave me a front-row seat to how industries operate — and where the gaps lie. When I was introduced to industrial hemp in 2009 through a UK-based pharmaceutical collaboration, I recognised immediately that this plant could bridge those gaps across textiles, construction, composites, and beyond.
For years, Namrata and I immersed ourselves in research — studying hemp agronomy, fibre processing techniques, and the regulatory landscape. We worked with the Uttarakhand state government on cultivation licences, collaborated with scientists on fibre quality, and built relationships with farming communities across the state. That groundwork is what makes Dhara Fibers possible today.
The word "Dhara" means "flow" or "stream" in Sanskrit — embodying the continuous, natural flow of hemp from Indian soil to the global supply chain. We are working directly with licensed farming communities, providing them with certified seeds, organic inputs, and guaranteed buyback at fair prices. Our goal is not just to manufacture textile-grade hemp fibre; it is to create a regenerative supply chain that enriches farmers, restores soil health, and offers the global textile industry a genuinely sustainable alternative to conventional fibres.
At Dhara Fibers, we process hemp stalks into high-quality bast fibre suitable for apparel-grade textiles, home furnishings, and industrial composites. Our in-house R&D, backed by a team of university professors and scientists, is pushing the boundaries of what Indian hemp fibre can achieve — in terms of fineness, tensile strength, and blendability with cotton, Tencel, and other natural fibres.
We believe India has the agricultural land, the climate, and the ancestral knowledge to become the world's hemp fibre capital. Dhara Fibers is our vehicle to make that vision a reality. I invite you to join us on this journey — as a partner, a customer, or simply as someone who believes that the future of textiles must be rooted in the earth, not extracted from it.
— Harshavardhan Reddy Sirupa
Co-Founder & Managing Director
"The soil doesn't ask what you believe in — it rewards what you put into it. Hemp taught me that the most honest business model is one where the earth profits alongside the entrepreneur."
"We didn't start Dhara Fibers because hemp was trending. We started because a farmer in Uttarakhand showed us a stalk and said, 'This used to clothe my grandfather's village.' That's a supply chain worth rebuilding."
"Every textile revolution began with someone refusing to accept that the old way was the only way. Cotton replaced wool, synthetics replaced cotton — and now hemp is here to remind us that nature had the answer all along."
"Vertical integration isn't a strategy for us — it's a promise. When we hand a textile mill a bale of hemp fibre, we can tell them the name of the farmer who grew it, the field it came from, and the rainfall it absorbed. That's transparency you can weave."
"India once exported hemp to the world. We're not creating something new — we're returning to something ancient with modern precision. Dhara Fibers is where heritage meets engineering."
Namrata Reddy Sirupa
Co-Founder & Head of Operations, Namrata HempCo Limited
My journey with hemp began with curiosity and quickly deepened into conviction. As an engineer, I was drawn to the material science of it — a single plant that yields fibre stronger than cotton, lighter than fibreglass, and capable of enriching the very soil it grows in. When Harsha and I founded NHempCo in 2016, I knew that the real transformation would come not just from what we could make with hemp, but from how we made it.
Textiles are in many ways the most tangible expression of sustainability. The fabric you wear, the furnishings in your home, the composites in your vehicle — these are daily touchpoints where conscious choices can create lasting impact. Dhara Fibers exists to ensure those choices are available, accessible, and backed by uncompromising quality.
I oversee our fibre processing operations and quality systems, bringing the same engineering precision to every stage of the pipeline. From retting and decortication through to grading and packaging, we maintain traceability at every step, ensuring that every batch of hemp fibre leaving our facility meets the exacting standards that B2B partners and textile manufacturers demand. Our farmers are not just suppliers; they are collaborators in a shared mission to prove that Indian-grown hemp fibre can stand on the global stage.
Our R&D work is focused on achieving finer, more consistent fibre grades that can blend seamlessly with cotton, Tencel, linen, and other natural fibres. We are continuously refining our processing techniques to reduce lignin content, improve softness, and increase the range of textile applications our fibre can serve — from lightweight apparel to heavy-duty industrial composites.
As a woman entrepreneur in a sector that is still emerging, I am particularly passionate about creating livelihood opportunities for rural women in our farming communities. The hemp value chain — from cultivation and harvest to fibre sorting and grading — offers meaningful, skill-building employment that keeps communities intact.
Dhara Fibers is the culmination of years of research, patience, and an unshakeable belief in the power of this remarkable plant. I welcome you to explore what we're building and to become part of a movement that puts people, planet, and progress in harmony.
— Namrata Reddy Sirupa
Co-Founder & Head of Operations
"Quality isn't a checklist you complete at the end of a production line. It's a conversation that starts in the field, travels through every stage of processing, and arrives at the textile mill as a fibre that speaks for itself."
"When a woman in a village in Uttarakhand sorts hemp fibre with the same care she braids her daughter's hair, that's not labour — that's craftsmanship. Dhara Fibers exists to make sure that craftsmanship reaches the world."
"As an engineer, I was trained to solve problems with precision. Hemp is the rare material where precision and compassion point in the same direction — better fibre, better soil, better livelihoods, all from one crop cycle."
"Sustainability reports are full of what companies plan to do. We'd rather show you a bale of fibre and the farmer who grew it. That's the only audit that matters."
"I don't want Dhara Fibers to be known as a hemp company. I want it to be known as the company that proved Indian farms could supply the world's textile mills with something cleaner, stronger, and kinder than anything they've used before."